All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.S03E12.Right.to.Counsel.1993.DVDRip.x264-TVV_track3_[eng]-en

(narrator)
In the criminal
justice system,

the people are represented
by two separate
yet equally important groups:

the police
who investigate crime,

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders,

These are their stories.

If she ever asks,
we finished early last night.

We went for a beer
at Tommaso's

and watched the game
tiII almost midnight.

I hate football.

You like it now.

You beat the spread,
took a double sawski
from me,

and you bought
a couple of rounds.

Who played?

Bears, Vikings.

24-21.

Sherri's a good woman.

What do you
want to hurt her for?

Okay, remember your lines,
nobody gets hurt.

I don't know.
When I get hitched--

Hey, you gotta have
a date first, bozo.

Uh, Spiegelman, 6-A.

[vehicles honking]

Who won, anyway?

[snorts]

She must be out.

Follow me.

[door opening]

(Newman)
Used to be, every apartment
in New York was eggshell.

Now we're talkin'
peach, olive.

Nice.
Rent control.

Six rooms.

What do you say
we start in the kitchen?

I could use
a cup of coffee.

A place like this,
I could lose a couple of kids.

Oh.

[man on radio chattering]

Sorry, I got on at 9:00.

Nobody except regulars,
in or out.

Hmm. What about
the watch before yours?

Uh, 6:00 pm. to 9 am.
Only security's a buzzer.

Okay. Thanks.

(Taft)
Blood's still wet.

This one's
hot offthe presses.

Took it in the back.

Knees bruised.
Probably standing.

You got a weapon?

Found it in the sink.

Nothing.

Well, at least he's neat.

Did you dust
the drawers?

Mmm, nothing.

But we did pick up some prints
on other knives inside.

Long shot, but...

Yeah.

Barbara Spiegelman, 61.

No sign of forced entry.

Could have been
my mother.

(Briscoe)
Hand cut crystal.

[glass clinks]

My mother never had
any ofthese.

[people chattering]

"Barney Greengrass,
The Sturgeon King."

Time stamped,
7:18 this morning.

That's what?
About five blocks from here?

Mmm-hmm.

So, she's over 60,
it's winter,

she makes a couple of stops
along the way.

Could be the delivery boy
brings it in the kitchen.

Could be
he didn't like the tip.

Could be nothing's that easy.

[camera clicking]

Used to be
human beings
lived in this city.

Sam, Barbara:
good people.

Regulars every Sunday.

Sam the husband?
Yeah.

Heart attack.
Went like that two years ago.

Carole, uh, hired me
to do the shivah.

Their daughter. Nice girl,
but too much like Sam.

A smile now and then
would be nice,

you know what I mean?

Barbara. Was she
here this morning?

Yeah. Half a pound of Nova,
couple of chubs, two poppies,

two sesames,
and a happy face button
on her coat.

She didn't by any chance
have the package delivered,
did she?

No. Barbara wanted
to eat her breakfast
before lunch,

but kids working for tips,
not in much of a hurry.

(Briscoe)
Thanks.

Crash and burn.

Now there's only
eight million other suspects.

Yeah, maybe, maybe not.

That's a lot of on
for one person.

What are you thinkin',
a heated game of mah-jong?

Hey, my old lady's friends,

I wouldn't play
without a helmet.

What's the daughter's name?
Carole?

Not my favorite part
ofthe job.

My sophomore year at Penn,

my roommate got a call.

Her father died.

After that,
every time the phone rang,

I don't know,
I was just prepared for Dad.

[crying]
I never even thought...

My mother-in-Iaw
never carried cash.

There was really nothing
of value in the apartment.

We're thinking
maybe it wasn't a robbery.

Why would anybody...

(Briscoe)
Carole.
Whoever did this,

it looks like your mother
had to let them in.

Was she expecting anyone
this morning?

Well, the last few months
Barbara has been involved.

She had a boyfriend?

Although Barbara denied it,
it was kind of obvious.

Stephen Gregg, a designer.

Avenue Fashions,
39th and 7th.

W-we were supposed
to have dinner last night.

She couldn't fit me in.

Gregg?

[sighs]

I yelled at her.

I told her she only
thought about herself.

I didn't know.

[phone ringing]

I begged her
to move in with me.

Yes, detectives,

that's what people
who love each other do.

You just caught us
a little bit off-guard there.

We were together
for three months

before she'd go out
in public with me.

She said
that it was for my benefit.

I had a business.
People would talk.

Makes sense.
What are you? Uh, 35?

38.

When I met her,

I had no idea
how old she was.

By the time I found out,
it didn't matter.

Barbara took
such good care of herself.

When was
the last time you saw her?

(Gregg)
I have an opening next week.

I worked till midnight.

I spoke to her about 10:00.

She was fine.

[sighs]

[phone ringing]

This guy's a designer.

Do we even know
if he likes girls?

He likes them enough to ask
one to move in with him.

Yeah, one who graduated from
college the year he was born.

Hey, May-December.
It happens.

The guy seemed
sincere enough.

Yeah, and Ted Bundy
got a gold star for honesty.

This guy Gregg,
did he have any priors?

No. But you gotta
start somewhere.

Even ifthey were
more than just friends,

gigolos steal,
they don't kill.

(Logan)
Do they lie? Look at this.

Gregg's LUD's.

He didn't call anyone
at 10:00.

What about the woman?

She made one call.
8:13 this morning.

Arlene Ross.

I--I can't believe this.

I spoke to her this morning.
She was bubbling over.

Did that have anything to do
with this Stephen Gregg?

It had everything
to do with him.

Love has a way
of making you smile.

Didn't you think
it was a little strange?

You're married to somebody
for 40 years,

you start to see life
through a single window.

It was always Sam and Barbara,
the Spiegelmans.

A straightjacket
for two, huh?

Barbara loved Sam,

but she was a lot more
than Sam's wife.

With Stephen
she went to museums,

she went dancing.

Would you happen to know

what window she was
looking out of last night?

Dinner at Chanterelle
with Stephen and a client.

A buyer from Bloomingdale's.

Is there a law that says you
can only fall in love once?

(Karen)
Stevie? Sure.

Been doing business with him
the last five years or so.

Used to be with
Dominick D'Alleva.

People would kill for a chance
to design for the master.

He seems to be
doing all right on his own.

Yeah, well,
who would've guessed?

I mean, he's a nice guy,
he's got talent up to here.

But?

Don't get me wrong,
Stephen's very good.

Ladies apparel's
the toughest gig there is.

Maybe ifthe recession
ends this century,
he ends up one ofthe biggies.

Oh, like nobody can afford
$200 for a sweater, right?

Mmm-hmm.

Avenue Fashions,
try multiplying that by five.

No wonder he can afford
dinner at Chanterelle.

Hey, I'm the buyer, remember?

Last month Lutece,
before that Perioli.

Stevie's tax deductions
go straight to my hips.

But I like fine dining.

Especially when it's free.

And last night, uh,
dinner for two?

I wish.

You gotta admit,
the guy's cute.

But he had that scarlet "T"
tattooed on his forehead.

"Taken."

Although, last night
I thought maybe not.

Oh? Things weren't, uh,
so hot between them?

Pure ice.
Uh-huh.

They were trying to be civil,
but, uh,

when they got in the cab,
we're talking explosion.

I could hear it
from the curb.

[phone buzzing]

Excuse me.

Yeah, he called her
last night.

From the other side
ofthe bed.

I panicked, okay?
I knew what you would think.

I loved Barbara.

From what we heard,

maybe the other night
the feeling wasn't so mutual.

My sister Debra wanted me
to visit her next week.

I--I thought it best
if I went alone.

Sounds like love to me.

My friends have been
on my back

and I didn't need
my family, too.

I guess you won't have to
worry about that anymore,

will you, Steve?

I owe everything
to Barbara.

She talked me into
going out on my own,

she encouraged me to expand,
be more aggressive.

She believed in me
more than I did myself.

You think she still believed
in you yesterday morning?

[sighs]

We had breakfast.

I kissed her goodbye
around 8:00 am.

I was here by 8:30 am.
Now, you ask anybody,

anybody
who's seen us together,

and they will tell you
there is no way

that I could ever hurt her.

He works for other people
his whole life.

Suddenly he's out
on his own?

Hey, you saw
Spiegelman's apartment.

Didn't look like
she had capital to invest.

What, you think everybody
lives up to their means?

Alright, play it out, Mike.
Say she gives him money.

Why's he gonna kill her?

He wants more.

Maybe she wants
a return on her investment.

Maybe we'll get lucky
and find a motive
at the apartment.

”Age of Civilization, ”

Everybody's got one.
Nobody reads it.

Yeah, and Book ofthe Month
makes a fortune.

"10th row, aisle. Tom Jones."

I didn't know
he was still alive.

Barbara sure was.

Looks like she went
everyplace with Gregg.

Looks like a honeymoon.

You've never been married.

Hey, look at this.

Letter from Burton Charles.
Chemical.

Vice President.
Private Banking.

Liquidation of bearer bonds.

I never got letters like that
from my bank.

(Charles)
Sam was in printing.

Struggled for years.
Direct mail becomes the rage,

he's sitting on a cash cow.

And Barbara got to milk it?

(Charles)
She wasn't a business woman.

Took the first offer
that came her way.

After taxes, $20 million.

We've managed
the entire portfolio for her.

We've done very well.

Ijust hope
we're allowed to continue.

Well, who's calling
the shots now?

You'll have to ask
Kevin Doyle.

Trusts and estates lawyer.

He sent us
the Spiegelman account.

He handles
the family's legal affairs.

I was with Mr. Woodward
all morning.

He's another client.

Lives three blocks
from Barbara.

I almost stopped by
with papers.

Maybe ifl had...

When I got the message,
I was devastated.

I imagine in your business,

uh, you get a lot
of messages like that.

My clients die,
but not like this.

This city.

I don't envy you yourjobs.

And Barbara was more
than a client.

I saw her almost weekly.

Hey, I needed to
rewrite my will,

a PBA lawyer
wouldn't even answer my call.

[chuckles]

Six years ago,

Barbara dragged Sam
to the Philharmonic.

Dvorak's Slavic Dances.

I met them at intermission.

Until a year or so ago,
10 Saturdays a year

I was the beneficiary
of Sam's season ticket.

Barbara stopped enjoying
your company?

When she met Stephen,

she didn't have time
for anybody else.

I guess she was entitled.

What about Stephen Gregg?
What was he entitled to?

I'll admit, it was odd.
Barbara and Stephen.

But as far as I could tell,
it was genuine.

You're not thinking...

Hey, ourjob, we have to ask.

Why not?

It'll be
a matter of public record
in a couple of weeks.

Carole, the daughter,
gets the residuary estate.

English, Counselor.

Everything left,
after specific bequests.

And the specific bequests?

"To my friend, Stephen Gregg,
$2 million."

I had no idea that
she had this kind of money.

So, uh, the ski trip
and the cruise,

uh, you thought she won
those things from Ed McMahon?

She told me
that she had a good income.

She never told me
that I was in her will.

And what,
tomorrow you're gonna tell us

you panicked and had to lie?

For the first time
in my life I was happy.

Why would I kill her?

(Briscoe)
Hey, I'm happy, too, Steve,

but $2 million would make
my smile a lot bigger.

I'm not like that.

I wanted Barbara,
not her money.

(Logan)
Well, today's your lucky day

because the law says
if you kill somebody,

you can't collect
undertheirwill.

So Carole and her husband
will be spending
that $2 million.

Her husband?
Mmm-hmm.

What are you talking about?

Carole hasn't seen Douglas
in over a year.

They're not married?

They've been divorced
for as long as
I've known her.

Listen, Gregg's told enough
lies to run for office.

So there's a problem?

Hey, you don't think
it's strange

the daughter hasn't seen
her ex in over a year,

and he just
suddenly shows up

the day his mother-in-Iaw
takes one in the back?

We accuse a guy of murder,
and I think he's a liar.

Excuse me
for being cynical.

What if Gregg's
telling the truth?

Carole and her ex
kiss and make up,

they never have to work a day
the rest oftheir lives.

If Barbara Spiegelman
was anything like
my ex's mother--

Hey, Marge's mother and I
aren't exactly
hugs and kisses.

I smile a lot at Christmas

and do everything I can
not to answer the phone
on Sundays

but I don't play
Jack the Ripper
with a steak knife.

Marge's mother
isn't dangling $20 million
in front of your nose.

Okay. Talk to them.

And tell Romeo not to go
too far from home, huh?

Carole and I were divorced
on paper only.

Separating was not our idea.

Whose idea was it?

The lovely
mother ofthe bride.

Barbara never cared
too much for me.

My profession.

(Logan)
Which is?

Well, it's changing.

Right now,
I'm in liquor distribution.

Someday
I'll have my own place.

Barbara never
believed much in me.

Ah, it's part of being
a mother-in-Iaw.

Nose gets into places
where it doesn't belong.

Did you ever think about
getting an unlisted number?

I would have
moved to the West Coast.

30 years ago
they were supposed to
clip the umbilical cord.

You have enough money,
you get to retie it.

So Barbara used her money
as leverage.

Sam left a couple of million
in trust

and all distributions
to Carole

were at the discretion
of the trustee.

And that was Barbara.

She gave Carole
a choice.

Lose me,
or lose $10,000 a month.

So Carole chose the money.

Well, what would you do?

The problem was,
Carole still loved me.

All that sneaking around.

It was like having an affair
with my own wife.

[phone ringing]

Yeah, I promise to love,
honor and obey,

as long as it doesn't
affect my inheritance.

Remind me
never to marry for money.

Hey.

Say the old lady
finds out

that Carole's divorce
is all smoke and mirrors.

What does she do?

She'd call her lawyer,

tell him to run herwill
through word processing

and delete Carole's name.

You think
that would upset Carole?

$20 million?
It'd ruin my day.

People like Barbara,

like most of my clients,
for that matter,

they're able to control
their families with money.

My father called it

the primary advantage
of wealth.

Sounds an awful lot
like bribery to me.

Barbara was not fond
of Douglas Pomerantz.

She wanted him
out of Carole's life.

She got what she wanted.

And she had no idea

that he was back
for a return visit?

I would have been
the first to know.

I--I know where you're going,
and you're wrong.

Barbara and Carole
had problems,

but certainly not enough
to kill for.

These problems, did they
concern Stephen Gregg?

Carole wanted her mother
to be happy.

But the idea of Barbara
supporting Stephen--

She was giving him money?

A couple of weeks ago
Carole called me.

She was hysterical.

She discovered
that Barbara was
writing checks for Stephen.

She wanted me to
talk to her about it.

And?

Part of my expertise

is knowing when
not to get involved.

Of course I was mad.

My father breaks his back,

and she throws it away
on this person half her age.

What, you thought
there'd be none left for you?

$50,000, $75,000.

The money
didn't matter to me.

I couldn't stand
to see her taken advantage of.

Did you know what the money
was gonna be used for?

I found these cancelled checks
in her apartment.

Metropolitan
Financial Corp.

Yeah,
I never heard of it either.

So I called.

It's a factor.

She was paying off loans
made to Avenue Fashions.

Avenue Fashions, sure.

In the hole
for roughly $1 million.

So you gave them
$1 million just like that?

I'm a factor. I'm banking
on his receivables.

He's paid back
a good chunk so far,

but, uh, sales slow down,

I tend to get
a little nervous.

Nervous enough
to call in the entire loan?

As of last week,
Gregg's in for about $600,000.

This economy...

If he were anyone else,
I'd let him slide.

But a past like his, it's
a little too shady for me.

We checked.
There's nothing illegal.

(Regan)
Did you check Connecticut?

One of my clients tells me
that back in Westport,

Gregg got caught
with his hand in the till.

He gets a check on my desk
by next week

or my truck's hauling out
whatever's left
in his warehouse.

(Baker)
He was 25.

First job in fashion.
I hired him as a stock boy

but physical labor
wasn't exactly his forte.

What was?

Sales.

Especially if the customers
happened to be women.

Oh, he wasn't Paul Newman
or anything like that,

but there was
definitely something there.

Best numbers,
two years in a row.

A shame to
lose a guy like that, huh?

In more ways
than you'll ever know.

Wait a minute,
you mean, you and him, uh...

Robbing the cradle
is not gender-specific,
detectives.

Thank you, Gloria Steinem.

So what?

He took advantage
of your friendship?

In the front door
with flowers,

out the back door
with the inventory

to the tune of $30,000.

And you didn't press charges?

You bet your buns I did.
He spent a year in Danbury.

Hey, the guy's
down for the count.

He needs
major amounts of cash
by the end ofthe week

or it's goodbye
haute couture.

And just like that,

he's solvent,
plus $1 million to spare.

Could be he's lucky.

Could be next week
I'll be doing
shampoo commercials.

Paul, this guy tried
to get lucky before.

He's got priors?

Yeah, imported from
the Toll Booth State.

He flashes his pearlies

while his fingers
do the walking through
his girlfriend's pocketbooks.

The older, the better.

[phone rings]

What?
It's still all circumstantial.

I'm looking for something
that directly connects him
to the murder.

You mean,
like, uh, fingerprints?

Connecticut just faxed us
Gregg's file.

I thought the murder weapon
was wiped clean.

It was. Others
in the drawer weren't.

(Logan)
Right.

He reaches in,
he grabs Exhibit One,

but he's not careful,

so he touches
Exhibit Two, Three and Four.

It's as close as
we're gonna get, Paul.

My guess is,
he starts singing

as soon as
we slap the cuffs on him.

Pick him up.

[car honking]

[phone ringing]

Stephen Gregg.

What is it now?

You're closed
for business.

Wait a minute.
This is ridiculous.

Stephen Gregg,
you're under arrest

for the murder of
Barbara Spiegelman.

You've the right
to remain silent.

Anything you do say

will be used against you
in a court of law.
Do you understand that?

Yes.

You have the right to
an attorney.

If you cannot afford
an attorney,

one will be provided
if you so desire,
prior to any questioning.

(court clerk)
"Docket no. 788146.

”People v. Stephen Gregg,

Charge is murder
in the second degree."

Do we have a plea?

Not guilty, Your Honor.

Paul?

The defendant
savagely murdered
an elderly woman, Your Honor.

(Franks)
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

It says here, now,
Mrs. Spiegelman was 61.

That's correct, Your Honor.

(Franks)
On my 61st birthday

you were cramming
for a torts exam.

I'd advise you
to choose your adjectives

a little more courteously,
Counselor.

The People request bail
of $500,000.

My client can hardly afford
cab fare to Brooklyn,
Your Honor.

Why not make it
$1 million?

Why not?

[chuckles]
And they say the elderly
lose their sense of humor.

[Franks laughing]

Bail is set at $250,
cash or bond. Next.

There's a pattern here, Adam.

He's a predicate felon,
he lied to the police.

Motive, fingerprints.
When you add it all up--

You add it all up,

you get
a basket of goose eggs.

Not one piece
of direct evidence.

A first year law student

could punch more holes
in your case

than Con Ed has
in Third Avenue.

It was intentional,
That is, murder two.

Anything less is a gift.

All right,

now unless he prances in here
with a confession

you're gonna play Santa

and you're gonna deal him
down to man one.

[sighs]

Please, Mr. Stone,
I read the bill.

David Copperfield
couldn't make a case appear.

Miss Knight, your client lied
to the police

about spending the night
with Mrs. Spiegelman.

A couple of your detectives
knocked on his door.

What did you expect?

He was afraid they weren't
free thinkers like you and me.

His fingerprints
were on the other knives
in the drawer.

You've come
along way, baby.

She washed, he dried.

He spent seven nights
a week there.

If you didn't find prints,
we'd have something
to talk about.

The jury won't overlook
a $2 million motive.

I told you,
I had no idea.

Mr. Gregg, please,

if you want to spin the wheel,
go ahead.

But I'm sure
your attorney'll tell you

that for two-time felons,

it usually stops on
25-to-Iife.

What?

Miss Knight.

If you didn't ask him
about his past record,

you ought to be
ashamed of yourself.

And if you did,

what does it say
about his credibility?

Your client served time
in Connecticut.

Grand larceny.

A couple ofthugs
shook me down.

I was a kid.
What was I supposed to do?

Give me 10
to talk to my client.

About what?
I didn't do anything.

I loved her.

[door opens]

[people chattering]

Half hour. I don't know.

Gregg didn't look like
the word "plea"
was in his vocabulary.

Well, you spend one year
in prison,

I doubt if you want
to go back for 25 more.

[door opens]

[door shuts]

Man two.
He serves the minimum.

It was intentional homicide.
Man one is as low as I go.

Whatever happened
happened in
the heat of passion.

He says he loved the woman.

Then let him think about her
for the next 15 years.

7 to 21,
you've got a deal.

All right.

Why are you
doing this to me?

(Gelfant)
As I read it,

you were in front of
Judge Franks only yesterday.

To what do I owe the pleasure?

IfI may, Your Honor,

the defendant wishes to
withdraw his plea of
not guilty

and enter the plea
of guilty to manslaughter
in the first degree.

The People concur,
Mr. Robinette?

Yes, we do, Your Honor.

And we've agreed
with defense counsel

upon a sentence
of 7 to 21 years

in the state
correctional facility.

Please stand, Mr. Gregg.

(Gelfant)
Do you understand the charges

to which
you are pleading guilty, sir?

I do.

Please describe
in your own words

what occurred on the morning
ofthe eighth ofthis month.

[sighs]

I was at Barbara's apartment.

That's Mrs. Spiegelman?

Yes.

Go on.

She was sitting
with her back to me.

[sighs]

Your Honor--

[whispering]

[sniffles]

I took a knife
out ofthe kitchen drawer.

And what did you do with it,
Mr. Gregg?

I stabbed her in the back.

And you killed her for money?

Yes.

Has your attorney explained

that this plea

has the same effect
as a guilty verdict by a jury?

Yes.

The court accepts
the defendant's plea.

The defendant is remanded
to the custody of the state

pending sentencing.

[gavel bangs]

Ijust went over
the forensics report

on the Spiegelman case.

The case is closed,
Paul.

Well, maybe it shouldn't be.
The report said

Barbara Spiegelman had bruises
on both of her knees.

So she was standing
when he stabbed her.

That's what
the ME concluded.

Only in court today,
at his allocution,

Gregg said
Barbara was seated
with her back to him.

You said he was nervous.
Maybe he made a mistake.

You don't forget
how you killed someone.

Maybe he didn't like
his options. He's 38.

Maybe seven years
looks a lot better than 25.

An attorney is going to let
an innocent man deal?

Justice is swift,
it's not always fair.

Sally Knight,
four years Brooklyn legal aid

before she hung out
her own shingle.

Last year,
62 cases, 59 pleas.

And her trials?

O for three.

All right, talk to her.

(Knight)
It doesn't matter how fast
you are, Mr. Robinette,

you can't return
your own serve.

I'm counsel for the defense,
remember?

And I'm counsel
for the People.

All ofthem.

I know you plead over 50 cases
last year.

And I figure
I saved my clients

collectively over
500 years behind bars.

Don't let the grandeur
fool you, Mr. Robinette.

My clients
don't drink martinis
at the Oak Room.

You guys set up
the plea bargaining system.

Don't blame me
for using it.

Did you ever consider

that Stephen Gregg
took the deal
for the wrong reason?

He always maintained
he was innocent.

His mother died
when he was eight years old.

His dad beat the hell
out of him between six packs.

I've heard it all before.

If I didn't buy the story,

how could I take a chance
with the jury?

If Stephen did
kill Barbara Spiegelman,

why would he lie in court
about how he killed her?

I've got 30 court appearances
in the next two weeks.

I can't afford
to thinktoo much.

We're talking about
a man's life.

Look, you guys pile a stack
of evidence in front of me.

Kevin tells me
the guy is guilty
and should rot in hell.

I gave Gregg his options,

he made his choice.
I did myjob.

Kevin?

Doyle.
The old lady's attorney.

Gregg asked him for a lawyer,
Kevin sent me the case.

I guess he thought
I could use a client
who could actually pay.

Doyle and Knight?

He's Paul Stewart,
she's K-Mart.

Not the kind of referral
you'd expect.

Gregg is hardly solvent,
Doyle knew that.

He's not gonna give him
Melvin Belli's
telephone number.

He's gonna call
the bar association

and get someone
within his price range.

He's just
trying to help out.

Or maybe not.

Doyle told Briscoe and Logan

there was no way
Gregg could be a murderer.

But he told Knight
there was no question
he was guilty.

What are you saying, Paul?

If he was involved,

than refer it to a lawyer
who's afraid to go to court?

But Doyle is
Barbara Spiegelman's attorney.

What motive
could he possibly have?

Kevin and I started here
the same day, same department,

but, uh,
he was miles ahead of me.

Law school,
I took civil rights,

he took tax planning
for the wealthy.

Sounds like
he knew what he wanted.

He wanted to
live among his own.

Played touch football
in Hyannis Port.

I learned the hard way
that people like that
aren't made,

they're evolved.

Doyle hasn't learnt that yet.

Oh, he didn't have to.

The guy is Exeter,
Princeton, Harvard Law.

He's that kind of guy.

Kids like me from Regal Park,

we don't get on the letterhead
of Smythe & Bradley.

What about Doyle?

I'll tell you what.

We all thought
Kevin was a slam dunk.

He got passed over
as a partner?

Goes to show.

Recession hits, nobody cares
how blue your blood is.

[glass clinking]

The trick to becoming
a successful estates attorney,

join the right clubs
and outlive your clients.

And Kevin Doyle
never learned the trick?

Oh, he learned very well.

That boy's
as good as it gets.

No, I sponsored him
for Winged Foot myself.

He's good enough
for your club,

but not good enough
for partner?

No, on the contrary,
Mr. Robinette.

Perhaps we weren't
good enough for him.

He turned you down?

First time
in the history ofthe firm.

He said he didn't
want the headaches.

Translation:

avoid partnership liabilities
during a recession.

But he doesn't get a piece
ofthe profits, either.

Exactly.
But what goes around...

That Spiegelman estate
should buy him

five bedrooms at Sag Harbor.

I thought he doesn't share
in the profits.

Oh, he doesn't share
in the legal fees,

but read the will.

He's got one hell of
an executor's commission

coming his way.

Barbara loved the boy.

How much will he get?

$20 million estate,
roughly 2.5%.

You do the math.

He gets it all?
Mmm-hmm.

Now, if he were a partner,

he'd have 75 mouths
biting into that apple.

Firm rules:

associates get to keep
their commissions
all to themselves.

(Stone)
He had motive, Adam.

$500,000?

[snorts]

After the Feds, state and city
get through with him,

you can cut that
down to half.

A Wall Street attorney's
gotta be making six figures.

If he needed money...

(Schiff)
If he needed money

he would've
accepted partnership,
or gone to his family.

Maybe his family's
not so generous.

What do we know about Doyle,
anyway?

Harvard Law, '78.

We got over 300 lawyers
working in this office.

Somebody must have
gone to school with him.

(Alter)
Kevin Doyle

loves to wave
the crimson banner,

never shows up
at alumni cocktail parties.

He doesn't have
fond memories?

He wasn't at Harvard
long enough to have them.

Transferred in his third year
from Brooklyn Law

took extra credits
just so his diploma would
have the proper pedigree.

Well, it served him well.
He's working at
Smythe & Bradley.

Where else?
We're all in ripped jeans

he shows up to class
in a tweed jacket

custom-made at Tripplers.

Some people,
that's a way of life.

Well, if your name was
Rockefeller, maybe.

Kevin struts around campus
with his Mark Cross briefcase,

everyone thinks
he's Forbes 400.

And he's not?

Only ifthey're listing
the country's top frauds.

After graduation,
we had this going away party.

You know, family, friends.

Kevin's there
for about 20 minutes,

tells us
he has to run to the airport

to see his folks off
to Europe.

You don't believe him.
I did.

Till a few of us hit
some all-night greasy spoon,
2:00 am.

Guess who's there
with two pitchers of beer

and a bucket
of fried chicken?

Kevin Doyle.

Mama, Papa and baby Doyle.

It wasn't Kevin's blood
that was blue, Paul,

it was his collar.

He took one look at us

and herded his parents
into their beat up Chevy.

I haven't seen him since.

In the early '80s

Doyle put all his money
in tax shelters.

Everything from
shopping centers to cable TV.

All seven-to-one write-offs.
Never paid a nickel in taxes.

And in the '90s,

Uncle Sam disallowed
those deductions.

Penalties, interest.

Adds up to almost $400,000.

What about
his bank accounts?

Empty.

IRS has liens
on his apartment, his car,

his place in Seaview.

End ofthe month,
they take it all.

So Doyle needs $400,000.

He collects $500,000

as Barbara Spiegelman's
executor.

No, it was a lot more
than money for Doyle.

He's from Brighton Beach.

He wants the world to think
he's from Palm Beach.

Yeah, but without
more than a motive,

we're left in
the starting blocks.

Doyle told Briscoe and Logan

he was with a client
the morning ofthe murder.

Why did they even ask him?

They didn't.
He just offered.

Could be
he was feeling guilty.

Call Briscoe.

Paul, weren't there
unidentified prints
in the apartment?

Four sets.

When I took
the bar exam,

they took my fingerprints
for identification purposes.

Doyle said
he was with a Don Woodward.

And he wasn't?

Fortunately,
his clients don't tell him
everything.

Mr. and Mrs. Woodward
were celebrating their
40th wedding anniversary.

A month in Aruba.

(Briscoe)
Ben.

[sighs]
The prints on
the kitchen counter.

Four point match
with Doyle.

Oh, God.
I don't believe this guy.

Paul, file a motion
to withdraw the charges
against Mr. Gregg

and let's get him home
as fast as we can.

And read Mr. Doyle
his rights.

An attorney?
My pleasure.

Paul,
William Patton
has never done

a day of pro bono
in his life.

I thought
that Doyle was broke.

Well, his firm posted bail.

They're probably
picking up the tab.

Yeah, well,
at $450 an hour,

I don't think we're gonna see
any deals on this one.

(court clerk)
Oyez, oyez, all rise.

The Supreme Court
of the State of New York

Criminal Part 57
is now in session.

The Honorable
Mark Burns presiding.

(Milgrim)
The CSU officers

found seven fingerprints
in Mrs. Spiegelman's kitchen

that were readable.

One ofthem
belonged to Kevin Doyle.

Where exactly
was that print located?

On the kitchen counter,

directly above the drawer
which contained
the carving knives.

Thank you.

Tell me, sir,
is there any way you can say
beyond a reasonable doubt

that these prints
were left on
the day ofthe murder?

No.

So they might
have been a week old?

That's right.

How about a month? Or a year?

Objection.

We get your point, Counselor.
Sustained.

Well, you have to
understand, um,

Mom and Dad never really
had very much.

All of a sudden,
there were banks and brokers.

They all promised the world.

Mom didn't--didn't trust
any ofthem.

But she trusted Kevin Doyle?

Yeah.

(Carole)
She said, um,

ayoung man like that
doesn't need our money.

Was Kevin Doyle
in the habit of

showing up at
your mother's apartment
uninvited?

Sure. Yeah, um,
Mom wouldn't have hesitated

about buzzing him right in.

There were always
papers to sign.

She trusted him.

Thank you.

Did your mother
ever complain

that Mr. Doyle
overbilled his hours?

No.

Did she ever say
that his legal advice
was unsound?

No.

So it's fair to say, then,
that he was a good attorney?

Objection.

Withdrawn.

To your knowledge,

was your mother aware
that as executor,

Mr. Doyle was entitled to
a commission

of approximately 500,000?

Yes.

Did she ever say
that amount was excessive?

No.

Why do you suppose that is,
Miss Spiegelman?

I said, she trusted him.

She liked him.

You suppose
she liked him enough

to lend him $500,000
if he desperately needed it?

Objection.

Sustained.

[phone ringing]

Patton raised
reasonable doubt
with every witness.

That's why
he drives a Ferrari.

And they've written textbooks
on his closing arguments.

Yeah, It's too bad
that Doyle didn't hire

his old friend Sally Knight.

Paul, you said that Doyle was
from Brighton Beach, right?

And you said
that Knight worked
for Brooklyn Legal Aid.

Do you think
she ever visited the beach?

What are you saying,
they're in cahoots?

(Stone)
Adam, if you were
a defense attorney

and a prosecutor came to you
with evidence

that tended to prove
that your client was innocent,

what would you do?

I'd celebrate
up and down Center Street,

and then move to
set aside the plea.

Until we withdrew the charges,

there wasn't a peep
out of Miss Knight.

(Schiff)
If we took the license

of every incompetent lawyer
in the city,

we wouldn't have to recycle
the New York Times,

"Sally Knight,
704, Mermaid Avenue,

Brighton Beach, Brooklyn."

She may be incompetent,

but I think
I can make a hell of a case

that she's also unethical.

Let's give her a visit.

you take it,
you don't ask questions.

I do, Miss Knight.
And what I want to know is,

would Stephen Gregg
still be in prison

if we hadn't withdrawn
the charges?

What the hell
are you implying?

I'm saying that you grew up
with Kevin Doyle

he referred the case to you,
and Stephen Gregg cut a deal.

This is crock.

No, it's a case of
accessory to murder
in the second degree.

How much of the $500,000
did he promise you?

First of all,
I don't know if Kevin did it.

Second, if he did,

you have no proof
that I was involved.

You can't possibly believe
that I--

What I believe is irrelevant,
Miss Knight.

And if you took the time
to go to court now and then,

you'd know that
the mere appearance of guilt

is enough
to get you convicted.

Now if you tell us
all you know about Kevin Doyle

we may spare you
the burden

of defending yourself
against felony charges.

Retaliatory prosecution.
I could get you disbarred.

We're about to play chicken,
Miss Knight.

And given
our respective reputations,

I think I know
who's likely to win.

I'll tell you what I know.

But you can't charge me
with anything.

That depends on
what you tell me.

(Knight)
Kevin came to me.

He said
the case was a gimme.

He said Gregg
was guilty, cut a deal

make a couple of grand
without much effort.

Did Mr. Doyle tell you

why he chose to refer
the case to you?

Kevin and I
grew up together.

Now he was
this big muckety-muck,

and I was still
begging for cases

outside of the courthouse.

I thought
he was trying to help me.

But he wasn't?

Hardly.

Once again,

Kevin Doyle was thinking
only of Kevin Doyle.

Objection.

No opinions, Miss Knight.
Sustained.

What did
the defendant tell you?

After Mr. Robinette presented

what might have been
exculpatory evidence,

I went to Kevin's office.

He told me
not to be stupid,

to collect my money
and keep my mouth shut.

Itold him I could be
ruining a man's life.

And what did Mr. Doyle say?

He actually
started to panic.

He said I'd ruin everything.

The great Kevin Doyle.

He didn't actually
come out and say it

but I suspected.

Suspected what?

That he was somehow involved.

Objection.

(Burns)
Sustained.

The jury will disregard
the witness's last statement.

Uh, Miss Knight,

there's one thing
I don't understand.

Despite your suspicions,
you did nothing.

People like me
ride the F train.

We buy new clothes
maybe once a year.

I thought
maybe ifl helped him,

someday maybe he'd help me.

Thank you.

Do you believe
that Stephen Gregg

and Kevin Doyle
acted in concert?

No.

So, if Mr. Doyle is guilty

then your client Stephen Gregg

has to be innocent,
isn't that true?

Yes.

Did you do
anything whatsoever

to secure
his release from prison?

[sighs]

No.

(Patton)
So you admit

that you have violated
Disciplinary Code 7-101

of the ABA's Codes for
Professional Responsibility?

Yes.

Tell me, Miss Knight,

how do you expect
this court to believe

an attorney who, under oath,

admits to committing
a disbarrable offence?

Objection.

Sustained.

Of course, my fingerprints
were in Barbara's apartment.

I visited her
several times a month.

What was the purpose
ofthose visits?

Barbara was the trustee

of a trust
created under Sam's will.

I frequently had papers
for her to sign.

Tax returns, distributions,
transfers, things like that.

(Patton)
So these visits
were strictly professional.

A good estates attorney
is a family advisor.

Like a rabbi, if you will.

(Doyle)
Barbara asked my advice

on everything from investments
to what kind of car to buy.

She trusted me.
She respected me.

I respected her.
It was almost like family.

It's preposterous to think
that I could kill her.

Thank you.

Mr. Doyle,
it's true, isn't it,

that you represent

some of
the wealthiest families

in New York City?

(Doyle)
I suppose so.

And do they all invite you
into their households

like, uh,
Barbara Spiegelman did?

For the most part, yes.

Why do you suppose
that is, sir?

I happen to be a very
good attorney, Mr. Stone.

Oh, there are a lot
of good attorneys
in New York City.

I mean, couldn't they hire
Miss Knight, for example?

No.

(Stone)
No?

Well,
if she's not a good attorney,

why did you refer
Stephen Gregg to her?

(Doyle)
She's competent.
She's just not...

Oh, she's not, uh...
She's not what, sir?

She's not
their kind of people?

That's right.

And you are?

Yes.

Which means Miss Knight

doesn't have the education,
or the upbringing

or the family history,
is that right?

That's correct.

And if she were
in financial need,

she could not
go to her family for help

like your clients could,
right?

No.

Now, Mr. Doyle,

people have testified
in this courtroom

that you are
in dire financial need.

Did you ever go
to your family for help?

No.

(Stone)
Why not, sir?

Is it because
a garage mechanic

is not likely to have $400,000
sitting in his bank account?

I went to Harvard.

I work on Wall Street.

you are not really

"their kind of people,"
are you?

So the question is,

how far would you go
to conceal that fact?

Objection.

Sustained.

No more questions.

[traffic rumbling]

We may have a problem, Ben.

After Knight's testimony,
I don't think so.

I can't find Doyle.

He didn't pick up
his phone last night.

This morning?

Nothing.

[sighs]

Call Briscoe and Logan.
Thanks.

If he left town, he didn't
take much luggage.

(Logan)
Paul. Lennie.

Oh, my God.

Lawyers killing their clients
for money.

They left that one
out of the Canons of Ethics.

Well, for Doyle,

money was only
the means to an end.

(Stone)
He climbed
as high as he could,

and couldn't
bear the fall.

Who could?